Continuing in its new tradition of stamps commemorating Canadian roadside attractions, on July 5th, 2010, Canada Post began issuing a series of stamps featuring four more out-of-the-ordinary sign posts. This year we visit the Coffee Pot of Davidson, SK; the Happy Rock of Gladstone, MB; the steel Wawa Goose, and the giant Puffin of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, QC.
- Davidson, MB, halfway between Regina and Saskatchewan used to be “the” place to stop for coffee before the highway was rerouted. What better way to welcome weary, caffeine-deprived drivers than with a giant, towering coffee pot?
- In 1984, Gladstone, MB held a contest to find a suitable mascot for their town. “Happy Rock” was born. How can you not love this giant, grinning rock?
- Moving on to Wawa, ON, we are stopped in our tracks by a huge steel goose soaring towards the sky. Wawa is Ojibway for “wild goose”; appropriate, since every year flocks of Canada Geese stopover here on their way down south.
- Finally, we stop off in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, QC. We are guided along our way by the Giant Puffin. Puffins are a species of birds that live on coastal cliffs or islands. Many puffins inhabit this region, so what better mascot than this puffy bird with the colored beak?